Are Spurs ready?

Spurs haven’t addressed every problem this summer but now that the academy are producing players, is there still hope we can end our trophy drought? Or do we need to spend big in the last weeks of the transfer window? As ever with Spurs, expect the unexpected.

I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve enjoyed the summer break away from Spurs.

The Euros and the Olympics have been a welcome distraction, and I have managed to avoid the social media meltdowns that normally dominate transfer windows.

This is because the back end of last season was exhausting for a Spurs fan.

Early season optimism was extinguished by that Chelsea game in November. When the likes of James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentacur did return, they never regained their form.

The expected push for Champions League football then fizzled out after a series of awful results and there was the indignity of hoping Spurs lost against Manchester City to deny Woolwich the title.

The loss was necessary to avoid years of abuse from friends and family, but nobody associated with the club came out of the episode well.

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs eventually finished in 5th place and qualified for the Europa League playing ultra attacking football – even if it was suicidal at times.

Overall, it was a good first season under the Australian. But there was still much to be done in the summer.

Spurs needed to sell players that are past their sell-by-date and replace them with the quality that will help us compete on multiple fronts.

So, has this happened?

Well, not yet.

The club have done well to clear the decks. Emerson Royal, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Troy Parrott and Joe Rodon were sold.

Dane Scarlett, Alejo Veliz and Bryan Gil were sent out on loan and Japhet Tanganga, Eric Dier and Ryan Sessegnon were given free transfers after their contracts expired.

However, recruitment has been a slow and frustrating process.

Timo Werner renewed his loan to much controversy in July before 18-year-olds Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray were signed on permanent deals.

Then, the club flew out to the pre-season tour of South Korea without further movement in the market.

I enjoyed the videos of Sonny taking his team mates to high end restaurants and the players attempting to cook Korean barbeque.

The performances of several academy products in friendlies also provided much hope for the future.

But there was still a need to sprinkle these prodigies with Premier League quality and experience.

As the tour ended and another week went by, some Spurs fans understandably became restless at the lack of signings.

Was there going to be enough time to complete business before the start of the season?

Dominik Solanke was then signed from Bournemouth for a fee of £65m.

Expensive, perhaps, but a fee that Solanke was always going to command having scored 19 goals in the Premier League last season and qualifying for that dreaded ‘English tax.’

Spurs have also been desperate for a finisher since losing Harry Kane. Richarlison certainly works hard but he has not managed to become the prolific goal scorer we need.

However, Solanke, Richarlison, Werner, Son and Will Lankshear should provide enough cover up front with the increase of matches this season.

On Friday – out of the blue - Spurs announced the signing of Wilson Odobert for £25m. The French winger made 33 appearances for Burnley last season, scoring four goals.   

I’m not going to pretend I remember his time at Burnley. Like most, I have been reliant on Twitter and YouTube compilations.

Spurs seem to have signed a pacey winger with a bag of tricks and an eye for a long-range shot.

However, we have been a graveyard for young French wingers in recent times. Clinton N’jie and Georges-Kévin Nkoudou looked like certified ballers in their compilation videos before we struggled to sell them two years later.

The good news is that you can tell how popular a player is by the reaction of a selling club’s supporters.

Burnley fans have largely praised Odobert with some suggesting the Paris St-Germain graduate will develop into a quality player.

For now, it’s a guessing game. The Spurs fanbase will have to give the club the benefit of the doubt and wait to see Odebert in a lillywhite shirt before demonising him.

Going forward, Spurs need a defensive midfielder. Somone who will protect the defence from counter-attacks whilst starting our own possession.

This has become more important now that Højbjerg has been moved on and that Yves Bissouma is in the doghouse after being caught inhaling balloons.

I also thought we needed cover in both full back positions. But with Djed Spence back in Postecoglou’s good books and Ben Davies trusted at left back that may no longer be the case.

An attacking midfielder would also be ideal to keep Maddison on his toes.

But a lot of what I’ve spouted is based out of anxiety. Some of it is based on playing Football Manager or Fifa where negotiations will take 2 minutes at most if the agent is being an arse.

The reality is that negotiations are complex when real money and people are involved.

Sure, other clubs do it better than Spurs but then teams like Chelsea seem to do it without any distinguishable plan.

Despite my annoyance at the many poor decisions that Daniel Levy and ENIC have made down the years there has to be a point where supporters separate those failures from those now in charge of scouting and transfers.

Johan Lange and his data led style of recruitment hasn’t made the costly mistakes that are anathema to this manager’s philosophy.

Talented players from the academy have also found a pathway to the first team without seeking pastures new.

However, while the club is internally aligned, they’re yet to convince all their supporters. Inevitably, that will only come with positive performances and results.

Spurs aren’t ready to start the season, but this club has a habit of falling on its arse before quickly finding its feet again.

It’s just whether Spurs can keep standing long enough to deliver that elusive trophy.

As ever, expect the unexpected.